Rock Island daily Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1886-1893, 1887-09-24
HAVOC ON The no GRANOe.
Some Details of the Terrible Storm-The
Homeless and Destitute.

MATAMoRAs, Mexico, Sept 24-The great
storm of Wednesday night and Thursday
morning did terrible damage in Matamoras
and for twenty miles south of here and forty
miles west along the Rio Grande Telegraph
wires were Frustrated, preventing early &C
counts of the storm The wind reached the
velocity of hurricane, blowing eighty five
miles an hour, as registered at the head
quarters of the Mexican troops located here
The hurricane drove the sea into the mouth
Of the Rio Grande, causing it to overflow its
bank on the Mexican side for distance
nearly 100 miles from its mouth
The principal streets In Matamoras were
submerged to a depth of three feet. Many
old houses in the city collapsed and were car
ried away by the wind and food Notwith-
standing the great destruction to property,
no lives are yet known to have been lost, but
many people were wounded by flying debris
and falling houses Narrow escapes from
death are recounted by hundreds.
The hurricane was so powerful that not a
single metal roof remains in the city They
were all curled up like 50 much paper and
hurled TO the ground, All fences in the city
and for miles surrounding have disappeared
In many instances not a single board is left
on the ground-nothing but the naked posts
1t is thought that every frame house in the
city was moved more or less from its founda-
ton, or otherwise damaged
During and Immediately following the
progress of the storm rescuing parties were
organized and sent out to relieve people in
the lagoon districts of the city, where the
food was dangerously deep The most prom
inent men in the city were engaged in this
work of rescuing and caring for the poor.
The mayor of the city headed one Eescuing
party that brought in sixty women and chill
dren, who were in imminent danger, sur
rounded by water. The rain poured down
in binding sheets for several hours
adding terror to the hurricane and
the raging river. The government troops
were all called out to assist the
police in the work of rescue, and their serv-
ices were invaluable. The public school and
government buildings are now crowded with
refugees, whose little homes have disappeared.
Not less than 100 small houses Gacals) were
thus destroyed, while all of the larger build
ings and residences are damaged. The Mata-
moras & Rio Grande railroad sustained serious
loss. Its track is swept away for many miles
along the river and its depots demolished.
ing the homeless victims of the storm. Mata-
moras suffered much greater damage than
Brownsville
BROWNSVILLE, Tex, Sept. 24.-At 9
o'clock Tuesday evening the northern that
had been blowing for several days increased
In fierceness, with heavy gusts of rain, and
in short time hurricane was on the towns
in its full force, the wind resrhing, IN the
height of .he storm, velocity of seventy
eight miles an hour AN night along it con
tinued, the bowling being mingled now and
then with the crash of falling house. the
sound of falling trees, the ratsling of fences
as they went over, or the shouts of those de-
sorting their crumbling residences, or implor-
ing aid.
Morning dawned on a scene of desolation
Water filled the streets, through which the
roaring north wind drove the rain like great
volleys of small shot The fallen trees, ruins
of houses, and PROSTATE fences, all half sub
merged in water, rendered passage difficult,
and at times dangerous At 2;30 p m. the
wind lulled and there was almost dead calm
until p. m, when the wind came from the
south. This shows that the vortex of the
hurricane, as was in the case of those of 1880
anu icoO, pdsseh uHectly over TINS secLloh
About 9 p m. the wind again became VIC
lent, coming this time from the south, and
continued until Friday morning, when the
hurricane may have been said to have ceased
The duration of the stNm may safely be cal
culated at thirty-five hours.
The damage in the country, outside of the
| cities, Is immense, Countless numbers of
cattle and sheep have been lost, and the crops
of cotton, corn, and sugar-cane are complete
| ly Frustrated and destroyed.
One rancher on small place calculates his
loss in cotton alone at SO, 900, and many
Others are equally heavy losers The total Of
the losses will be far beyond 81 100000. In
Brownsville the chief sufferers were among
the poor. Between sixty and eighty "jacals,"
or the cheaper class of dwellings, have been
blown down. and fully 800 have been parti-
ally unroofed and rendered uninhabitable